China extracts natural gas from 'combustible ice' in South China Sea

Tags:

China has succeeded in extracting natural gas from methane hydrate - or 'combustible ice' - in the South China Sea, officials announced on Thursday.

Since May 10, the China Geological Survey (CGS) has been extracting natural gas from the 1,200-metre-deep seabed, 285 kilometres away from Hong Kong. During the past seven days and 19 hours, the output of natural gas has exceeded 120,000 cubic metres, with the highest daily output being 35,000 cubic metres.

"The continuously stable output signals that we have realised our set goals," said Ye Jianliang, commander of the combustible ice mining project with CGS.

Methane hydrate is a cage-like lattice of ice inside of which are trapped molecules of methane, the chief constituent of natural gas, according to the US Department of Energy.

One cubic metre of combustible ice can produce 164 cubic metres of natural gas, and it is predicted that the reserve of combustible ice on earth is more than twice that of coal, oil and gas.

In March 2013, Japan became the first country to extract natural gas from methane hydrate in the sea.